Abstract: A swabbing tool for wells that filters particulates from fluids passing through the swabbing tool. The swabbing tool comprises a mandrel, at least one swab cup on the mandrel, the mandrel and swab cup being arranged to allow fluids to pass from below to above the swab cup; and a sifter attached to the swabbing tool below the swab cup for filtering particulates from fluid passing from below to above the swab cup. The sifter is barrel shaped and is provided with a sealing element attached to the sifter to force fluid into the sifter. The sifter has an interior and the sealing element is dimensioned to seal against a casing or tubing wall and force fluid into the sifter. The openings in the sand sifting element may be slots, with a size between 0.125 mm to 0.635 mm.

Abstract: A method and composition is provided for sealing a subterranean zone penetrated by a well bore, wherein the sealing position comprises a mixture of gelling material, water, and cementitious material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for enhancing the production of hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation. A hydrocarbon bearing formation, surrounding a well bore, is fractured with a fracturing fluid to create one or more fractures in the formation. The formation includes a higher permeability zone and a lower permeability zone with the fractures extending across both the higher and lower permeability zones. The lower permeability zone may contain a substantially higher concentration of hydrocarbons, oil and gas, than does the higher permeability zone which may generally be depleted of hydrocarbons. Proppant is then selectively positioned, such as by allowing the proppant to “float” in a carrier fluid to the top of the fracture, with a majority of the proppant being positioned in the lower permeability zone. The fracture is allowed to close about the proppant to create at least one high conductivity channel in the lower permeability zone.

Abstract: Methods of forming through-tubing vent-screen tool completions in a well bore containing a producing zone are provided. The methods basically comprise placing the through-tubing vent-screen tool in the well bore adjacent to the producing zone, coating gravel to be placed in the well bore with a hardenable resin composition, combining the hardenable resin composition coated gravel with an aqueous carrier liquid, pumping the aqueous carrier liquid containing the coated gravel into the well bore between the producing zone and the tool to place hardenable resin composition gravel therein and allowing the hardenable resin composition to harden.

Abstract: The storable, low-density, hydraulically-active, cementitious slurry of the invention is suitable for cementing within a subterranean formation for oil or gas wells. The low-density slurry comprises a hydraulically-active cementitious material, a set retarder, a plasticizer, glass or ceramic micro-spheres, and a strengthening agent. Further the slurry is substantially free of a suspension agent. The storable, low-density, hydraulically-active, cementitious slurry is made by adding glass or ceramic micro-spheres to a hydraulically-active cementitious material, adding a strengthening agent to the microsphere containing composition, and mixing the resulting composition with water, a set retarder, and a plasticizer to generate a slurry, wherein the set retarder is present in an amount sufficient to allow storage of the slurry.